Steelers ship Claypool to Bears for 2nd-round pick

The Chicago Bears acquired wide receiver Chase Claypool for a 2023 second-round pick in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team announced.

The draft pick is the Bears' original second-round selection and not the one received from the Baltimore Ravens in the Roquan Smith deal.

Claypool will provide a vertical threat for quarterback Justin Fields and help fill out the Bears' wide receiver room. Darnell Mooney leads the team with 364 receiving yards, while no other wideout has surpassed 200 yards on the year. Fields has also failed to throw for more than 200 yards in all but one game this season.

Drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft, Claypool has recorded 12 receiving touchdowns and averaged 13.4 yards per catch in his career. He made a name almost immediately as a rookie, logging 62 receptions for 873 yards and nine touchdowns. He also added another two scores on the ground.

The 24-year-old's production has dipped this season in a sluggish Steelers offense. Claypool is averaging a career-low 9.7 yards per reception and has put up 311 receiving yards.

Claypool was speculated as a trade candidate leading up to the deadline. Pittsburgh reinforced the wide receiver position this offseason by drafting George Pickens and Calvin Austin. The franchise also gave Diontae Johnson a two-year extension.

Claypool has one more year remaining on his rookie deal following the 2022 campaign.